Chapter 3

I became Mrs. Blackwood in less than twenty minutes.

No flowers.

No vows.

No love.

Just signatures on a contract and the flash of a few stunned cameras.

Even now, sitting in the backseat of Sebastian Blackwood’s black luxury car, it still felt unreal.

The city lights blurred past the window as we drove through downtown.

No one spoke.

The driver focused on the road.

Sebastian sat beside me, calm and unreadable, scrolling through something on his phone as if nothing unusual had happened tonight.

I, on the other hand, had just married the most powerful billionaire in the city.

My fingers tightened around the copy of the marriage contract resting on my lap.

One year.

That was the agreement.

One year as his wife.

Then a divorce.

Simple.

Clean.

No emotional attachments.

At least… that was what the contract said.

I glanced at Sebastian.

Up close, he was even more intimidating than he had seemed across the ballroom earlier.

His posture was relaxed, but there was something sharp about him—like a predator that always stayed alert.

“You’re staring,” he said without looking up.

I quickly looked away.

“I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“Whether I made the worst decision of my life.”

That made him pause.

Finally, he lifted his eyes from his phone and looked at me directly.

“You already married a man who abandoned you publicly,” he said. “This decision can’t be worse than that.”

I frowned slightly.

“You’re very blunt.”

“I prefer honesty.”

That was one thing we agreed on.

After what happened with Victor tonight, lies were the last thing I wanted.

The car turned onto a quieter street.

I checked the location through the window and realized we were heading toward the most expensive district in the city.

Of course.

Where else would a billionaire live?

A few minutes later, the car slowed down in front of massive black iron gates.

Security guards immediately opened them as the car approached.

Beyond the gates stood a mansion so large it looked more like a private palace.

Tall white pillars.

Glass walls glowing with warm light.

Perfectly trimmed gardens stretching across the property.

My breath caught.

“You live here?” I asked.

Sebastian glanced outside casually.

“Yes.”

The car stopped in front of the entrance.

A butler was already waiting.

He opened the door the moment Sebastian stepped out.

“Welcome home, Mr. Blackwood.”

Sebastian nodded.

Then he turned toward me.

“Coming?”

I hesitated before stepping out of the car.

The marble steps beneath my heels felt cold.

Everything about this place screamed power and wealth.

For a brief moment, I wondered how long it would take before I started feeling like an imposter here.

Inside the mansion, the interior was just as impressive.

The ceiling stretched high above us, decorated with a massive crystal chandelier.

The floors were polished white marble.

Every piece of furniture looked like it belonged in an art museum.

“This is… a lot,” I admitted quietly.

Sebastian removed his suit jacket and handed it to the butler.

“You’ll get used to it.”

I wasn’t sure about that.

A few staff members stood nearby, watching us nervously.

Sebastian spoke to them calmly.

“This is Aurora.”

He paused.

“My wife.”

The room fell silent.

The staff immediately bowed their heads slightly.

“Welcome, Mrs. Blackwood.”

Hearing that title made my stomach twist.

Mrs. Blackwood.

That was me now.

Sebastian turned back to me.

“Your room is upstairs.”

“Your room?” I repeated.

He looked mildly amused.

“Yes. Your room.”

“Oh.”

Right.

A contract marriage.

Of course we wouldn’t share a bedroom.

For some reason, that realization made me relax slightly.

Sebastian began walking toward the staircase.

“Come.”

I followed him upstairs.

The hallway on the second floor stretched endlessly with several large doors along the walls.

He stopped in front of one and opened it.

“This will be yours.”

The room was bigger than my entire apartment.

A king-sized bed sat in the center, covered with soft grey sheets.

A private balcony overlooked the garden.

There was even a walk-in closet larger than my old bedroom.

“This is insane,” I whispered.

Sebastian leaned against the doorframe.

“If there’s anything you need, the staff will handle it.”

I nodded slowly.

Then something occurred to me.

“There’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you choose me?”

Sebastian’s expression didn’t change.

“I already told you. It was convenient.”

“That’s not the full truth.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re very observant.”

“I try to be.”

A quiet moment passed between us.

Then Sebastian pushed himself away from the doorframe.

“There are many families in this city,” he said calmly.

“But only a few that I truly dislike.”

My stomach tightened.

“Which families?”

His voice was cold when he answered.

“The Whitmore family.”

My heart skipped.

That was my family.

Or at least… part of it.

I kept my face neutral.

“Why?”

Sebastian walked slowly into the room.

His gaze moved across the city lights outside the balcony before he spoke again.

“Ten years ago,” he said quietly, “my father owned a company that was about to become very successful.”

I listened carefully.

“But someone destroyed it.”

His tone hardened.

“They manipulated contracts. Forced him into impossible debt.”

My chest tightened.

“And that someone,” he finished, “was the Whitmore family.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

My mind raced.

I knew the Whitmore Group had crushed several competitors over the years.

But hearing it from Sebastian’s perspective made the story sound different.

More personal.

“Your father…” I said slowly.

“He died a year later,” Sebastian replied.

There was no emotion in his voice.

That was somehow worse.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

Sebastian didn’t respond to that.

Instead, he turned to face me fully.

“So when I say I hate the Whitmore family,” he continued, “I mean every single one of them.”

My heartbeat became uneven.

He was looking straight at me now.

As if measuring my reaction.

I forced myself to stay calm.

“That’s… a lot of hatred.”

“It’s justified.”

“And marrying me helps you how?”

Sebastian walked closer.

Not threatening.

But close enough that I could see the sharp intensity in his eyes.

“The Whitmore family believes they are untouchable,” he said.

“They believe no one will ever challenge them.”

He paused.

“But they’re wrong.”

A strange chill ran down my spine.

“Are you planning to attack them?”

Sebastian’s lips curved slightly.

“I prefer the word destroy.”

The word hung in the air between us.

Destroy.

My family.

Or at least the family everyone believed I belonged to.

I folded my arms.

“And what does that have to do with me?”

Sebastian studied me carefully.

“You’re related to them,” he said.

“A distant cousin, right?”

“That’s what people say.”

“Exactly.”

He stepped back.

“Your connection gives me access to certain information.”

Now I understood.

This marriage wasn’t just about revenge in front of Victor.

Sebastian had a bigger plan.

And I was part of it.

A pawn.

But he didn’t know something important.

He believed I was just the poor cousin of the Whitmore family.

Not the real heir.

Not the daughter hidden away from their inheritance war.

Which meant…

The man who wanted to destroy the Whitmores had just married the one person who actually owned their empire.

I kept that thought carefully hidden behind a calm expression.

“So,” I said lightly, “you married me to spy on my family?”

Sebastian didn’t deny it.

“I married you because you were useful.”

Useful.

The same word Victor had used earlier tonight.

But somehow, hearing it from Sebastian didn’t hurt.

Maybe because I already knew this marriage was a deal.

Nothing more.

I walked toward the balcony slowly.

The cool night air brushed against my face.

“Then we understand each other,” I said quietly.

“Yes,” Sebastian replied.

I turned back toward him.

“And if your plan to destroy the Whitmore family succeeds?”

His expression turned colder.

“It will.”

I crossed my arms.

“And what happens to me then?”

Sebastian looked directly into my eyes.

“You’ll already be divorced by then.”

That answer was strangely reassuring.

Because it meant he truly believed I had nothing to do with the real Whitmore power.

Which made the secret I carried even more dangerous.

A quiet moment passed between us.

Then Sebastian checked his watch.

“You should get some rest.”

“And you?”

“I have work.”

Of course he did.

Billionaires never slept.

He turned toward the door.

But before leaving, he stopped and looked back at me.

“One more thing.”

“Yes?”

His gaze darkened slightly.

“If anyone from the Whitmore family contacts you…”

My heart skipped.

“Tell me immediately.”

I tilted my head.

“And if I don’t?”

Sebastian’s voice dropped lower.

“Then our marriage will become much more complicated than a simple contract.”

The warning in his tone was unmistakable.

Then he added one final sentence.

A sentence that made my pulse quicken.

“Because Aurora…”

His eyes locked onto mine.

“I intend to ruin the Whitmores completely.”

He paused.

“And now that you’re my wife…”

His voice turned dangerously calm.

“You’re going to help me do it.”